


Lunam et stellas

by Finally



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Good Peter Pettigrew, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, cw severus snape, gratuitous reference to sylvia plath, or more like humanised peter pettigrew, over the course of several years slow, softer than canon because i said so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:13:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29122473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finally/pseuds/Finally
Summary: Another marauders era fan-fiction spanning the length of their time in Hogwarts because it’s what we deserve.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. what on earth is a chocolate frog?

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoy :)

_To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream. -Sylvia Plath_

The kettle whistled loudly, disrupting the quiet of the small dark kitchen, but neither the old man nor the young boy sitting at the table flinched. Instead, Albus Dumbledore simply sat in respectful silence as Remus Lupin’s dry eyes scanned the document sitting in front of him on the table. Slowly, he raised his head to meet the steady gaze of the headmaster.

“I was told that, um, that someone like me wasn’t allowed to go to Hogwarts.’

Dumbledore smiled gently, “You are a child with magical abilities, are you not?”

Remus nodded.

“Well then, I see no reason for you not to receive the same education as any other witch or wizard your age. Any other… complications… should not be too difficult to iron out, as long as this is something you would want?”

Remus looked back down at the letter lying innocently on the table. Then back up at Dumbledore.

“More than anything.”

The headmaster smiled again, “Excellent. Now, shall we have some of that tea?”

***

While the train platform was loud and bustling, Remus barely noticed the volume of people streaming around him. His senses were dulled and muffled but for the churning in his stomach slowly turning the edges of his vision green.

He swiftly found the first empty carriage available and tossed his relatively light trunk into the overhead shelf before taking refuge in the window seat and quietly hoping his compartment would remain silent for the trip ahead.

His wish was not granted however, as a short boy in rather large robes roughly slid the door open with a violent bang.

He winced, “Sorry,” he said

A pause.

“I’m Peter. Pettigrew. You didn’t ask. Sorry.”

Taking pity on the friendly seeming boy, Remus gave a slightly tight smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

He then proceeded to watch Peter Pettigrew struggle through a losing battle with his slightly battered trunk before, with slight uncertainty, standing and pushing the suitcase into place for him.

“Oh- uh, thank you, mate.” Peter said, after a slightly awkward silence, “So- uh, what’s your name then?”

“…Remus.”

“Oh. Cool, yeah, nice to meet you, Remus.” Peter said, as if surprised his fairly withdrawn train companion had answered him at all.

He jumped up into the seat facing Remus’s and started swinging his legs back and forth while reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a set of cards. He began to sift through them while Remus retrieved a slightly worn book and started to flick through it.

The boys made it through around five minutes of silence before Peter, uncomfortable with the stillness, piped up once more,

“So, you’re a first year too, right?”

Remus cleared his throat slightly, “Um, yeah.”

“Have you thought about what house you want to be sorted into yet?” Peter rambled, spurred on by Remus’s response, “I mean, I don’t really mind I suppose, Gryffindor would be cool though. I wouldn’t really want to be a Slytherin I guess, not the nicest bunch, you know? And there’s no way I’ll be a Ravenclaw. Like, actually no chance.” he finished, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

“I haven’t really thought about it.” Remus responded. This was a lie. Remus had thought about it a great deal. _Not Ravenclaw, they’ll catch on far too fast. Not Slytherin, they’d turn me in the first chance they got. Maybe Hufflepuff, probably won’t make Gryffindor, not many brave people could be scared of the moon._

“Oh. Right, yeah, okay. Fair enough.” Peter responded, slightly more quietly, tailing off.

Remus looked at him slightly warily over the yellowing pages of his book before lowering it slightly.

Scanning the fidgeting boy up and down, he reluctantly decided to break the ice.

“Um, what are those cards you’re holding? I’ve never seen those before.”

Peter looked up suddenly and raised his eyebrows, “These? You’ve never seen a chocolate frog card before? Are you, like, a muggleborn or something?”

Remus flushed slightly, “No, I’m, um, a half-blood actually. I just- what’s a chocolate frog?”

Peter blinked at him for a moment, mouth slightly ajar.

“Can’t believe you’ve never heard of a chocolate frog before! Mate, wait until the food trolley comes ‘round, okay? I’m about to change your whole life!”

And at the sight of Peter’s wide, open, beaming grin, Remus Lupin couldn’t help but crack a tentative smile.


	2. lupin, remus

Remus and Peter stuck close together as they dismounted from the train, following the call of

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!” from the other side of the platform. They turned to each other with wide eyes at the sight of the tallest man they had ever seen holding a lantern before joining the other 11-year-olds in swarming in a circle around the giant.

The large man grinned wildly, his smile splitting across his face like a Halloween pumpkin, “’Ello there, I’m Hagrid, and I’m the groundskeeper here. I’ll be takin you lot across the lake here ready for your house sortin’. Right then, no more’n four ta’ a boat! In we get!”

Peter followed Remus and clambered into a small raft accompanied by a boy with dark hair and a crooked nose as well as a girl with fox-red hair. The girl turned to them with barely contained excitement, “Hi! I’m Lily!”

“I’m Peter! Oh, and, uh-he’s Remus!” Peter answered enthusiastically, though his cheeks were slightly red from being addressed.

Remus gave her a polite nod and shifted his gaze to the other boy in the boat. He wore an aloof scowl as he scanned Remus before turning back to face the water.

Lily rolled her eyes, “This is Severus, say hello, Sev!”

“Hi.” He grumbled.

Remus wasn’t overly perturbed by Severus’s lack of manners, instead he was staring beyond the small hanging lamp attached to their little wooden boat. The lights of the other boats shimmered across the black water of the lake, it looked as though it were reflecting the yellowing stars in the sky. Beyond the water, though, was the most beautiful building Remus had ever seen. Great turrets grew from the grassy grounds towering into the dark sky. The dark castle was interspersed with silvery windows winking in the night, golden light barely shining through them. Remus’s eyes grew wide from drinking it all in.

“It’s beautiful.” Lily whispered, opposite him.

“Yeah.” He breathed back, and they smiled at each other for a moment.

The swarm of wooden boats glided across the lake far too quickly and soon the students were rushing up the stairs after the Groundskeeper to reach the great doors. Waiting for them on the other side was an imposing woman dressed in slim black robes, peering down at the collection of nervous students below. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and started giving a speech about Houses and Sorting and something about Competitions, but Remus had already zoned out, captivated by the tall sweeping arch ceilings above him, illuminated by cascading golden light.

His breath left him once again as they followed Professor McGonagall into the great hall, the floating candles flickered invitingly above the long wooden dining hall tables, and, in place of a ceiling, there was instead a vast illusion depicting bright white constellations against the midnight blue of the night sky.

It was only when his name was finally called that he remembered to be nervous. His stomach twisted as he heard, “Lupin, Remus!”

Peter gave him an encouraging look as he meandered through the other students towards a stool with only a tattered looking hat sat atop it. He approached with uncertainty but sat down as McGonagall directed and allowed her to place the hat on his head. Looking out at the hall he could hear every set of blinking eyes, snapping open and closed as they fixed on him, making judgements already.

Remus swallowed anxiously before almost leaping out of his seat as a gruff voice spoke up in his head.

_Well well well, this is a first. A werewolf at Hogwarts. Who would have thought?_

Remus’ heart stopped. Was this all a trick? Was this weird talking hat about to expose him to the entire school before he could even attend a single lesson?

_Calm down, calm down! You have nothing to fear, I will sort you like anyone else. My, you certainly are a jumpy little thing. But clever, very clever, perhaps Ravenclaw…?_

Not Ravenclaw, Remus thought desperately, they’ll figure me out, I can’t be in Ravenclaw.

The hat chuckled, _Ah see, such a quick mind, such a pity. But no, Ravenclaw isn’t quite right. Nor Slytherin. You certainly have a lot to carry for one so young. And coming here knowing what you’re risking?Yes, I know where you belong._

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Remus felt the hat slip from his head and weakly stood up on shaking legs. He almost tripped over his own feet as he ambled over to the Gryffindor table where the older students were wildly applauding and whistling. He smiled weakly at the second years he found himself seated with before turning back to face the other sorting’s, his mind still glitching in disbelief. He shook off his shock and instead focused on finding Peter in the crowd.

Instead, his eyes fixed on another boy walking up to the Sorting Hat. He walked with an unusual confidence for an 11-year-old in front of an entire school. The boy shook out his messy hair and adjusted the round-rimmed glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose before confidently sitting on the small wooden stool.

The hat barely brushed his forehead before screeching out, “GRYFFINDOR!” again.

He grinned before leaping off of the seat and striding over to the red and gold table, soaking in the applause in a way Remus knew he never could. The boy dropped down in the seat opposite him, happily acknowledging the second years before turning his eyes to Remus.

“Alright?” he said.

“Uh, yeah.” Remus replied, attempting to smile back, though he needn’t have bothered, everyone’s attention quickly returned to the sorting ceremony at the front of the hall.

McGonagall quickly cycled through the names, the uniform group of students smoothly dispersing to each of the four tables, Gryffindor students gleefully booing the new Slytherin students as they scurried over to their table. Lily was separated from ‘Sev’ as they were sorted into Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively, and Remus noted the greasy-haired boy stealing mournful looks at the redhead across the hall.

Finally, Remus’s new acquaintance was called up. He winced as Peter almost tripped on his way up, but he recovered as he took a seat. Pettigrew’s face was red with concentration and his eyebrows were tightly drawn together as the hat deliberated.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Remus breathed out and smiled, politely clapping his hands as the rest of the table erupted in cheers. Peter settled down next to Remus, pink in the face but clearly pleased. The boys shared a shy smile before they turned back to the front to watch the few remaining students.

As the name “Black, Sirius” was called, Remus heard scattered murmuring erupt from every house table. Across from him, the confident boy with messy hair seemed to perk up, raising his head higher to watch another small figure walk to the front of the hall.

While he walked with a certain grace, Remus noted that his face was extremely pale, in fact, his facial expression couldn’t have been far off from how Remus himself had felt.

It seemed as though Sirius was glued to the stool, he sat statue-still as the hat deliberated for what felt like an age. His eyes were firmly closed and his mouth was set in a straight line.

Finally, Sirius’ eyes snapped open just as the hat called out again, “GRYFFINDOR.”

Dead silence.

Not even the Gryffindor table began to applaud. Remus looked around confused, his hands raised in a frozen pre-clapping position in the air. And then, suddenly, the boy across from him leapt to his feet, and loudly started to cheer.

“WOOOO! GO SIRIUS!” he shouted as he clapped, wildly.

Remus hesitantly joined, and the rest of the Gryffindor house followed suit, the previous energy picking up again as Sirius, looking fairly relieved, stumbled over to the table.

“Cheers, Potter.” He said to the boy across from Remus as he settled into his seat. His eyes glanced over to the Slytherin table and then back to Potter quickly, as if unconsciously. Remus subtly turned to see a row of disgusted expressions from their house table. Bewildered, he turned back to the table where Peter was now addressing the boys opposite them.

***

While Peter chatted to anyone who would engage in conversation at the table, Remus was too busy being enthralled by the amount of food that sat in front of him. As he piled his plate high, he couldn’t help but feel a stab of guilt as he remembered his father in his cold house.

His Dad had been lying in bed when he had left for the train station. Remus had knelt beside the bed and quietly told him he was leaving and in turn Lyall’s eyes had crinkled in what Remus chose to interpret as pride.

Thinking about him now, Remus felt a shock of sadness fly up through his spine and through his nerves, his tentative excitement washed away by worry. Would his Dad remember to eat? Would he get up in time for work without Remus being there to open the curtains and pour him a cup of tea?

Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I know the action is pretty slow but I do love to drag things out more than necessary! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!


End file.
